Means for loosening and spreading cut tobacco



ljspsl April 1-5, 1930. 7H. SCHUNEMANN MEANS FOR LOOSENING AND SPREADING cu'r TOBACCO Filed Nov. 23, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR fi /ziinemanfl April 15,1930. H. SCHUNEMANN MEANS FOR LOOSENING AND SPREADING CUT TOBACCO 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25

INVENTUR 8 52 I; lineman April 15, 1930.

MEANS FOR LOOSENING AND SPREADING cu'r TOBACCO Filed Nov. 23, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR #Jngfidanfl H. SCHUNEMANN 1,755,081

Patented Apr. 15, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEINRICH SCI-ITTNEMANN, F SPANDA'U, GEE-MANY, ASSIGNOR Tp MESSRS. NEUER- BURGSCHE VERWALT'UNGSGESELLSCEAFT M. B. 11., OF GEREONSHAUS, COLOGNE, GERMANY, A CORYORATION 0F GERMANY MEANS FOR LOOSENING AND SPREADING CUT TOBACCO Application filed November 23, 1927, Serial No. 235,312, and i n Germany January 29, 1926.

This invention relates to a means for loosening and distributing cut tobacco by means of which. the tobacco fibres are fed in proper order and in uniform quantities to the rod forming member of the cigarette machine,so that the differences in weight, which in some instances have been found to be much as 30%, experienced with the means hitherto employed are done away with and, further, that the tearing of the tobacco fibres into short pieces and the consequent formation of dust, due to which the quality of the cigarettes being manufactured is depreciated, is avoided. 1

The invention consists essentially in the provision of oscillating boxes which are oscillated vertically with respect to the plane of their grid, the loosening, and spreading out of the cut tobacco which is fed to them being effected on a conveyor belt arranged underneath them.

Two examples of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which 2- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of one form of execution.

Fig. 2 is a side view.

Fig. 3 is a plan.

Fig. 4: shows a side view of the feed rollers.

Fig. 5 is a side view, partly insection, of a second form of construction.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged top plan detail of the rib-8.3.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4:, the loosening device consists of a box-like frame having at its upper end a funnel 1 in which the cut to bacco is placed. The lower end of the funnel 1 is closed by means of two feed rollers 2 which rotate in opposite directions and are fitted with arms 3 uniformly located on the circumference, and which arms serve for the continuous feeding of a constant and uniform quantity of cut tobacco to the actual loosening and spreading device.

The drive of these feed rollers 2 can be of fected by means of pawl and ratchet mechanism 4:, 5, the number of revolutions being adjustable, for example, by the pawl 5, which may have imparted to it an adjustable throw by means of longitudinal rods 6, 6 through an eccentric 7 having a slot 8 and stud 9 adjustthe bottom of which is formed of longitudinal bars 11 placed parallel and close together in the form of a grate. An oscillating movement is imparted to the oscillating box by the eccentrics 12, 12 arranged to rotate symmetrlcally thereto, owlng to the fact that the crank rods 13, 13 secured to the eccentrics 12 and 12 engage studs 14 and let upon rods fitted with springs, said rods through said springs imparting an oscillatory motion to the said box 10, which is supported by vertically disposed slides 15, 15" on the casing. Above the grid 11 and disposed in the box 10 and supported by shafts 16, 16" are pin rollers 1'7, 17' the pins 18 and 18 of which pick up that part of the tobacco which, in the form of little lumps, has not fallen through the grid of the oscillating box, pick it to pieces and let it fall again on to the grid of the oscillating box.

In order to provide for the oscillating motion of the box, the shafts 16', 16', which project through the side walls, pass through vertical slots 19, 19 in the walls of said box.

If a greater oscillating motion be imparted to the box 10 on one side, for example on the side of the eccentric discs 12 than on the opposite side, then the tobacco which owing to the oscillating motion has not fallen through the grid 11 travels towards the side having the greater oscillating motion, where it is again lifted by the pin roller 17 and falls down. again on to the oscillating grid after passing between the rollers 17, 17. Thus there is a repeated loosening of the tobacco, whereby the particles of tobacco which have not fallen through the oscillating grid are thrown again and again on to the grid by thepin rollers 17, 17 until they are com pletely spread by the grid; Below the oscillating grid is arranged an endless conveyor belt 20 which can be used for removing dust from the tobacco, a suction box 21 having its upper side open under the upper run of the conveyor belt 20 which is formed as a suction or fabric belt, being provided so that the particles of tobacco which have fallen on to the conveyor belt are drawn through the fine res or meshes of the belt into the suction The conveyor belt can also be used for conditioning the spread and loosened tobacco, for example, by providing at a suitable point below the upper run of the belt devices for supplying hot air, steam or moisture.

front of the forward end of the conveyor belt 20 and disposed transversely of same is placed the tobacco rod conveyor belt 22, which is also in the form of an endless belt and runs over rollers 23. This belt receives the loosened and spread tobacco direct from the convevor belt 20, or by interposing a rotating distributing roller 24 which is formed as a pin roller. In this case the tobacco is fed to this distributin roller 24 by means of guide plates 25, 25. The pins 26 on the distributing roller 24 are comparatively short, so that a layer of tobacco correspon ing approximately to the length of the pin is seized by the distributing roller, the surplus tobacco falling, however, down the lower guide plate 25 on to a belt 27, which returns the surplus tobacco to a suitable point for any further conditionin%, loosening and spreading.

he distributing roller 24 and the guide plates 25 may be dispensed with providing the feed rollers 2 can be precisely adjusted, as under these circumstances the tobacco brought from time to time by the cigarette machine can be fed regularly in accordance with the speed of rotation of the feed rollers 2.

The drive of the various shafts for the rollers 2, the pin rollers 17, 17, the eccentrics 12, 12', the conveyor belts 20, 22 and 27, as also for the distributing roller 24, can also be effected centrally and in various ways. For example, a main driving pulley 28 can be provided which first of all drives the shaft 29 of the eccentrics 12 and by means of the shaft 30 which is provided with bevel wheels the shaft 29 of the eccentrics 12'. From there, by means of belt or chain drive 31, the shaft 16 of the pin roller 17 is driven, and from the latter, the shaft 16' of the pin rollers 17, by interposing a. spur gear 82. From the shaft 16, the shaft 33 of the eccentrio 7 can be rotated, for driving not only the distributing rollers 2, that is to say, the pawl gear 4, 5, of same, but also for driving the conveyor belt 20 by means of chain or belt transmission 34. From the shaft 20 of the driving rollers for the conveyor belt 20 and by means of belt or chain drive 35 can be driven the distributing roller 24 and by means of belt or chain drive 36 and spur wheel gear 37, the driving rollers for the conveyor belt 22.

In the form of construction shown in Fig. 5, the oscillating grid for loosening the tobacco is marked 1'. The tobacco falling from this grid is collected by means of a conveyor belt 20 and conveyed to an oscillating grid 83 (Fig. 6), arranged below same, which sifts the tobacco fibres longitudinally. For this purpose the oscillating grid is subdivided into two sections 84 and 85, the grid section of section 84 differing from the grid section of section 85, inasmuch as the shorter fibres fall on to the part 84, and the longest fibres on to the part 85, and, occasion arising, beyond that part. The grid part 84 can be closed more or less by a cover plate 88 in order to regulate the quantity of the shorter fibred tobacco passing through the grid part 84. Slides 86 and 87 are arranged in such a way under the grid 83, which effects the sifting of the tobacco fibres longitudinally, that the slide 86 forwards the shorter fibres of tobacco falling from the grid part 84 and the slide 87, the longer fibre lengths falling from the grid part 85. At the end of the slides 86 and 87 are arranged pin rollers 86, 87 which receive the tobacco fibres and pass them on to a conveyor belt 89 by which the tobacco is conveyed to the rod belt 90.

Moreover, the tobacco fibres can be scraped off the pin rollers 86, 87 with an oscillating agitator fork 91, 92. The lengths of the pins on the roller 86 are fitted for the shorter tobacco fibres, the lengths of the pins on the roller 87 being suited for the longer toa):

bacco fibres.

Claims:

1. Means for loosening and distributing cut tobacco comprising an oscillating grid subdivided into several different grid sections, means for feeding the tobacco to the first grid section, means for diverting the longer fibres of tobacco from the first grid section to the second grid section, slides ar ranged below the respective grid sections, pin rollers arranged below each of the slides, the pins of which are adapted to the length of the fibres of the sifted tobacco so that in one unit of time equal quantities of tobacco are drawn from the slides and led to the rod forming belt.

2. Means as claimed in claim 1 and in combination therewith, a grid plate adjustably mounted on the grid in order to permit adjustment of the quantity of the tobacco falling into the slide for the shorter fibers.

HEINRICH SCI-IUNEMANN. 

